A Celebration of the Man I Call “Dad”

by F. D. Adkins

As we celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, I want to share this story and celebrate the life of the richest man that I have ever met.

***

Tears streak faces all around the room. Hugs and stories pass between friends and family. Children and grandchildren write heartfelt notes and tuck them in his pocket. Some of the older grandchildren are dressed in his flannel shirts as they long to hold on and keep him close.  As family and friends gather here to remember and honor this life, my eyes are opened to the person that I aspire to be. While so many memories flood through my mind that I will never forget like how he loved to make people laugh with his jokes and how he would only eat his food if it was a little on the burnt side, …and the time I got mad because he put paper in my straw at Long John Silver’s …and the sound of his voice singing “Happy Birthday” to me over the phone every year …and how he would aggravate me about drinking all of his coffee…, his devotion to God is what is etched in my mind and speaking to my heart.

He did not just accept the free gift of salvation, he lived to serve God. He knew the Bible front to back, and I have been told that he would study God’s Word for hours at a time. The appearance of his Bible shouts this man’s love for God and his longing to have a close relationship with his Heavenly Father. His thumb and fingerprints are indented in the cover from holding it when he preached. The tattered pages from years and years of use are filled with his handwritten notes, and I literally mean filled. Just inside on the “Dedication” page is the date that he purchased the Bible. Apparently, he went shopping for this Bible only a few weeks after he accepted Jesus, and the excitement and joy this man felt from being born again leaps from the page through the three words hand printed in the blank next to “Occasion.” He wrote “Celebrating finding God.” He was celebrating!

From the looks of this Bible now, one can tell that he never stopped celebrating because it is evident this Book was used daily. If someone asked a question about his faith, he would not answer without opening his Bible and pointing out the scriptures.  When God called him to preach, he never accepted money. He did not want to be paid to share his love for God. He just wanted to spread the Gospel. This man impacted so many lives from the Americans that he sacrificed for in the Korean War, to the lonely elderly lady that his church group brought and shared Thanksgiving dinner with in her home, to the hungry stranger that he gave a hamburger, to the family and friends in this chapel mourning our loss. Take note that I use the words “our loss” because Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (KJV). There is no doubt that as this man entered into the kingdom of Heaven, he heard his Father proclaim the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” He let God shine through his life, and even in his last breath on earth, God used this faithful servant to reveal His mighty presence.

***

In our society, it seems the word rich is synonymous with money, but this man’s riches are beyond measure. The tears, the sincere sentiments in the handwritten notes, and the teens in flannel are priceless acts of love for a man that obviously left a permanent impression on every life he touched. I feel so blessed to have had the honor of calling this man “Dad,” and I feel so blessed that he treated me like his daughter. This great man is my father-in-law, but to me, he is “Dad” And, he is the kind of person I want to be. I do not want to just get into Heaven. I want to follow the example of this man that I call “Dad” and make my life count for God. When I see Jesus face to face, I want my Heavenly Father to say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Happy Father’s Day, Dad! Have a cup of coffee ready for me when I get there.

***

Please share about someone you want to celebrate this Father’s Day.